


happy endings only exist in books

by georgiehensley



Category: American Actor RPF, Teen Wolf (TV) RPF, The Fault In Our Stars RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 15:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2072676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiehensley/pseuds/georgiehensley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aka the one where Nat is an aspiring writer, Ansel is a barista, Dylan is his usual sarcastic self, and Tyler's just there to play matchmaker (and maybe find some romance of his own).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where this came from. I've never read or seen TFIOS, but I think Nat and Ansel would be cute together in real life. And I've seen a few episodes of Teen Wolf, but really, even if you haven't watched the show, it's not hard to find yourself shipping Hoechlin/Dylan. So, this was written kind of randomly, but I really liked it, so I thought to put it up on here. Enjoy :)

“Writing something?” Dylan asks, sitting down and placing the two cups down on the table, keeping one close to himself and sliding one away from him.

“Not really.” Nat says, his cheeks turning red as he finally closes his notebook, placing both it and his pen back down on the table. He mumbles a ‘thanks’ and takes a sip of his coffee, sighing when he pulls it away from his lips.

“Where is there any inspiration in _here_?” Dylan says, eyes scanning around the place. “It’s just a crowded, noisy Starbucks.” Nat shrugs when Dylan turns back towards him.

“There’s _some_ inspiration.” He says, glancing in a certain direction before turning his attention back to his drink. Dylan turns and tries to find what Nat had glanced at, before his eyes fall on the barista, and a smirk forms on his face.

“You like Barista Boy.” He says teasingly.

“What? No!” Nat says, his cheeks reddening again. Dylan chuckles.

“You do.” He says. “Can I see what you wrote?” Nat tries to protest but before he knows it, Dylan’s already grabbing his notebook, and Nat _would_ try to grab it back, but he already knows how _that_ would turn out. (The fight would knock his or Dylan’s or _both of their_ coffees over, creating a mess, and ruining his notebook, permanently getting rid of the words he’d spent nearly half an hour writing. But the mess _might_ have brought Barista Boy over to their table, and maybe that wouldn’t have ended _so_ badly for them. Maybe.)

He’s snapped out of his daze by Dylan chuckling at something he’s reading, and Nat bites his lip, grabbing his coffee again, hoping he doesn’t look so embarrassed.

“This is pretty good.” Dylan says, closing the notebook and sliding it back across the table. “I like how you basically wrote it based off real life. Although, the overly sarcastic best friend could have been left out.”

“ _You_ said I based it off real life.” Nat says. Dylan shakes his head.

“So, are you going to ask him out?” He asks, and Nat nearly chokes on his coffee.

“What?” He asks as if he hadn’t heard Dylan. “No! Of course not!”

“Really?” Dylan says. “’Cause I think he might be interested in you.”

“He isn’t.” Nat says, feeling himself blush again. He glances back in the barista’s direction, before standing, grabbing his things, throwing his notebook and pen back into his backpack.

“I gotta go.” He says then, and Dylan follows after him, trying to reassure him that _liking a cute barista isn’t a bad thing._

It’s when they’re long gone – some of the attention of shop-goers having been on them due to the volume of Dylan’s voice as they walked out – that the barista realizes Nat’s notebook had fallen out of his backpack on the way out, and none of the other customers had had the courtesy to pick it up and turn it into the front. Now, the place had emptied out, so he stepped out from behind the counter, walking over and grabbing the notebook, flipping through the pages.

“Who left their notebook here, Ans?” Tyler asks him.

“I don’t know.” Ansel answers back. “But they _should_ come back for it, right?”

“I guess so.” Tyler says, shrugging. “We can keep it in the back until they come back for it.”

“Alright.” Ansel says, still flipping through it. He stops when he finds a story that includes a character who shares his same job, giggling a little as he reads through it. He feels flattered – having heard the two guys’ conversation to know that the barista character was based off himself. But it leaves off in an odd place, one where you don’t know whether the barista asks the guy out or not. As he slips into the back to put the notebook with his things, he thinks about how the story could end – and maybe making the ending himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really, I wrote the first line of dialogue, trying to figure out who would say it, and the rest came from there. And the first chapter is mainly based off the word 'novel' that came up while I used a random word generator for fic ideas.


	2. Chapter 2

Nat groans as his alarm goes off the next morning, waking him up from his first decent night’s sleep in a long time. (And it wasn’t like he really had a dream while he was asleep – or, at least, one he could remember – he just must’ve felt more tired than he had before for once... Yeah, he doesn’t know why he slept so well. He thinks the absence of caffeine in his system might’ve done the trick.) He sighs as he shuts the alarm, opening his eyes and letting them adjust to the light. He’s quick to get onto his feet and step into the shower, then getting dressed and grabbing his back. As he tosses it over his shoulder, he realizes that it feels lighter for some reason, so he takes it off, opening it and digging through the bag to make sure he has everything. And then, he realizes that something’s definitely missing.

“Shit.” He mutters under his breath, tossing his bag over his shoulder before leaving his room, opening the door to Dylan’s room, calling his name.

“Mm, it’s too early.” Dylan mumbles, turning over and burying his face into his pillow.

“Dylan, come on.” Nat says. “I think my notebook fell out of my bag yesterday at Starbucks. I need to know that someone turned it in to the front, or else everything’s gone. Can you please drive me?”

“You can walk.” Dylan says. Nat shakes his head.

“It’s too far to walk.” He argues. Dylan sighs, pushing himself up before climbing out of bed, throwing on a random top and pair of sweatpants, grabbing his keys from the table next to his bed and walking past Nat out of his room.

“You need to shower.” Nat comments as he follows Dylan out of their apartment.

“Yeah, it’s not worth doing it now when _my_ classes don’t start till noon.” Dylan says as he locks the door, then glancing up at Nat. “Just get in the car.”

~

It isn’t long before they’re walking into the same Starbucks they’d just been at the day before, and luckily, it’s not busy. They walk right up to the counter, and Nat’s all prepared to speak, but when the barista behind the counter picks his head up, and Nat realizes that it’s _him_ , the one he likes, the words disappear from his mind.

“I, uh,” He says shyly, glancing over to Dylan for help. “I, u-um—”

“My friend lost his notebook yesterday.” Dylan says. “He thinks it fell out of his backpack sometime when he was leaving here. Did anyone turn it in?”

“Yeah, I think we might have it.” Barista Boy says, before disappearing into the back. Dylan can’t help but notice how the other barista behind the counter – a much buffer (and better looking, Dylan might add) guy, who’s currently busy filling someone’s order, smirks, watching as his coworker goes to get the notebook. When Barista Boy comes back, he has something in his hand, and Nat breathes a sigh of relief when he realizes that it definitely _is_ his notebook.

“This it?” He asks. Nat nods, mumbling, “Thanks.”

“I kind of skimmed through it a little bit, if you don’t mind.” Barista Boy goes on to say. “And I liked what I read. You’re a really good writer.” Nat feels himself blush.

“Thanks.” He says softly.

“Thank you.” Dylan says, nodding as he pulls Nat away from the counter, practically dragging him out of the shop.

“Man, I thought you were gonna start drooling if I hadn’t pulled you out of there.” He says as they head back to his car.

“I wasn’t staring, though.” Nat argues. “I was just blushing a bit.” Dylan rolls his eyes.

“You should be thanking me.” He says. Nat only punches him in the arm.

 

“I saw you take that thing home with you last night.” Tyler says once the two friends are gone. “You totally read everything in there.”

“Maybe.” Ansel says. Tyler smirks, putting the cup in his hand down on the counter, calling out the name of the person who left the order. Once they’re gone, his attention is on Ansel again.

“You like him.” He teases.

“I don’t even know him.” Ansel says, his cheeks turning pink.

“True, but you still like him.” Tyler says. Ansel rolls his eyes.

“Can we just get back to work?” He says. “I’d rather not talk about my love life here.” Tyler shrugs.

“Suit yourself.” He says, before turning his attention towards the front door, putting a smile on his face when he sees a new customer walk in. Ansel’s glad for the distraction, but even as Tyler helps the guy out, his thoughts still lead back to _that_ guy. He blushes when the thought of actually having a crush on him crosses his mind, and he’s quick to shut it down. Yet, it still lingers in the back of his mind for the rest of the day, even when he doesn’t realize it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too sure if I like the ending, but I didn't know how else to end it, so..
> 
> Also can we talk about Ansel wanting Nat and Dylan to (also) do the Ice Bucket Challenge? (Ansel, Nat, and Dylan being friends seems like it's becoming a thing and I'm so happy about it.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought I gave up on this, didn't you? Nope, didn't give up on it - just took a break from it, really. With school and everything, I just didn't have the time to work on it - nor did I have enough inspiration to continue writing it. But, for whatever reason, I reread what I'd already written this week, and decided to at least finish Chapter 3, which I had been in the middle of writing before I took a break from this.
> 
> As for the other chaptered fic I'd been writing, the Shevine one, I'm not sure if I'll pick it up again. Probably at some point, but we'll see. Maybe in the next coming weeks, who knows?
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the long wait on this chapter... Hopefully the many of you who read the first two chapters are still just as interested in what I have planned for the rest of this.

The next morning, Nat’s thoughts have finally drifted away from the barista. Instead, he’s more focused on his classes for the day – or really, how long it’ll take for the line he’s standing in to move so he can get breakfast at the student center. He really thought it’d be a quick in and out thing – just grabbing a bagel and some coffee, but apparently a lot of other people had the same idea as him.

By the time he reaches the front of the line, he’s only half paying attention to the person behind the counter, having already gotten deep into a texting conversation with Dylan, who’s telling him all about some party he overheard a few people talking about in one of his classes yesterday. Supposedly it’s supposed to be one of the biggest parties of the year, and of course, it’s being thrown at a fraternity house. So, Dylan and Nat never got an invite. (Not that Nat really cares, he’d much rather spend his Friday night watching a movie or working on some story than spending a few hours in a crowded house, with sweaty bodies everywhere, loud, thumping music pounding in his ears, and every room reeking of alcohol.)

He’s brought out of his conversation for a moment when the bagel he ordered and his cup of coffee are placed on the counter in front of him. He’s quick to pay, grabbing the bag containing his bagel and putting it under his arm, then grabbing his coffee, and taking his phone back out as he walks away.

Once he goes back to his conversation, he loses sight of his surroundings, now unaware of what’s around him. This only leads to him bumping into someone, and he’s brought back to focus when he heard a groan, a big brown stain staring right back at him. The sudden lightness of his coffee cup finally hits him, and then—

“Shit!” He says. “I’m so sorry, man.” He’s quick to put his phone away and toss his empty coffee cup aside, grabbing a bunch of napkins from a nearby table, quick to try and clean up the stain.

“It’s fine, I needed to wash this shirt anyway.” The guy above him says, and feeling a sense of familiarity at the sound of the voice, Nat brings his gaze up, locking eyes with _him_.

“Shit.” He’s saying again, straightening up. He’s throwing the napkins away in a nearby trash can, then turning his attention back on the guy in front of him, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “Of course we’re now meeting in even worse situations – this time worse for _you_.”

“Again, it’s fine.” Barista Boy says. “My friends keep telling me to get rid of this thing, so I’m fine with getting it stained.” Nat sighs.

“I’m sorry.” He says. Barista Boy smiles.

“How about I make this up to you?” He says. “For making you spill your coffee, I’ll get you a free coffee back at the shop. I owe you.”

“Wait, _you_ owe _me_?” Nat asks. “ _I’m_ the one who spilled coffee all over _your_ shirt.”

“Yeah, but the coffee here isn’t that great anyway.” Barista Boy says, shrugging. “You at least deserve to have some quality coffee.” Hearing that, Nat can’t help but smile.

“I get off around five,” Barista Boy goes on to say. “How about you swing by sometime before then?”

“Sure.” Nat says. “I’m still really sorry about your shirt.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Barista Boy says. “I don’t think I ever properly introduced myself before, so I’m Ansel.” He sticks his hand out.

“Nat.” Nat says, shaking his hand, hoping the blush forming on his face due to the contact isn’t obvious.

“Short for Nathan?” Ansel asks, cracking a smile.

“Maybe.” Nat replies. Ansel chuckles softly, and Nat realizes that they’re still holding onto each other’s hand, so he pulls away, rubbing his suddenly sweaty palm on the leg of his jeans.

“Well, see ya around, Nat.” Ansel says, beginning to walk in the other direction. “Don’t forget to come by before five!”

“I won’t.” Nat says, smiling slightly. Ansel smiles back, before turning around, his pace picking up. Once he’s gone, Nat sighs, running a hand through his hair. _I’m an idiot_ , he says, before taking his phone back out.

 

**Nat:** Thanks for making me spill coffee on ‘barista boy’. (Whose name is actually Ansel, in case you care.)

**Dylan:** No problem. Glad you moved to second base ;)

**Nat:** Shut up.

~

“You seem happy.” Shailene teases as Ansel walks into work that day, a smile on his face.

“Expecting someone, or something?” Tyler asks, and Ansel finally answers them.

“Maybe.” He says, and Shailene and Tyler share a glance.

“Is it that kid with the notebook?” Tyler asks as Ansel heads into the back to put on his apron. It’s not long before he’s back out, heading to his place behind the counter.

“Maybe.” He says again, and Tyler rolls his eyes.

“Wow, you’ve really fallen for that kid.” He says.

“Well, you know I have a thing for writers, right?” Ansel says.

“Yeah, _song-_ writers.”

“You don’t know everything about him.”

“And you do?”

“No.”

“Then you’re one to talk.”

“Shut up.”

Tyler smirks when Ansel tries to end the conversation, but he doesn’t say anything else. Soon, Ansel grows distracted as other customers come in, but he keeps an eye out for Nat, disappointed as each customer that comes in isn’t him.

Before he realizes it, it’s five o’clock, and there’s still no sign of Nat. A sigh escapes his mouth as he turns his back, beginning to head towards the back, already untying his apron. Just after he takes a few steps, he hears the familiar chime of the bells on the doors, and the urgent squeak of sneakers against the tiled floors as someone approaches the counter. Ansel turns back around, a smile spreading on his face as he takes in the sight of the boy he’d run into earlier, looking very tired – almost as though he ran all the way from his dorm to the coffee shop.

“Hey.” Ansel says happily, reaching behind himself to retie his apron.

“Hi.” Nat says, sounding out of breath. “Sorry I’m late. I just got caught up in my work and classes—”

“It’s fine.” Ansel says, cutting him off. “I’m still here, aren’t I? And even if I weren’t, I’d still make sure to give you that free cup of coffee the next time I saw you.” Nat smiles slightly. “So, what would you like?”

“Just a regular small coffee is fine.” Nat says.

“Milk and sugar?” Ansel asks.

“Yeah.” Nat replies. He’s quiet for a moment as Ansel turns around and begins to make his drink, causing a silence to fall over them, only for Nat to soon break it by saying, “I don’t really get how people can drink black coffee. It’s just so… bitter.”

“Bitter people like bitter things.” Ansel says, turning back around with a now full foam cup of coffee in hand, placing a lid on it as he puts it on the counter. “It’s just what they prefer.” Nat hands him a five dollar bill. “Dude, I’m not taking this. I told you, it’s on me.”

“Then take it as a tip.” Nat says. “I know how little these jobs can pay, ‘cause I’ve worked my fair share of them. You deserve the money.” Ansel smiles, taking the dollar bill out of Nat’s hand and putting it right into his pocket.

“Thanks.” He says afterwards. Nat smiles as well.

“Well, thanks for the coffee.” Nat says, grabbing the cup and beginning to head towards the front door.

“It was no problem, really.” Ansel says. “See you around, Nat!”

“Bye!” Nat calls back, before heading out of the shop completely, the door falling shut behind him. Ansel sighs as he continues to watch him go, the large windows of the shop giving him a clear view of the other boy as he navigates through the city crowd.

“Someone’s in love.” Shailene sings as she joins Ansel at the counter. The taller of the two shakes his head.

“Shut up.” He says. Shailene giggles.

~

It’s the following morning when Dylan finds himself stumbling into the coffee shop, clad in a comfy t-shirt and sweatpants, having not even bothered to brush his hair prior to leaving his dorm. Today, of all days, he has an earlier class – sadly, it’s the only day, really, in the week that he has a class before noon. So, with the fact that he was unable to sleep later than eight o’clock, he’s feeling pretty tired, and figures that the caffeine from the coffee could help keep him awake during class.

Before he realizes it, he’s reached the front of the line, and he can’t help but yawn as his gaze moves up towards the menu. (After this, he catches the barista stifling a laugh, but he chooses to ignore it.)

“What do you recommend?” He asks. The barista smiles.

“Well, we have just about any coffee-related beverage out there.” He says. “Sweet-flavored lattes, bitter dark roasts, iced beverages, hot ones—”

“Do you have anything that’s sweet _and_ hot?” Dylan asks. The barista stifles a laugh again.

“Me.” He says casually. Dylan cracks a smile, feeling his cheeks burn with a growing blush.

“Thanks but no thanks,” He says. “Sorry, but I don’t exactly play for that team.”

“Well, you’re certainly missing out.” The barista says. Dylan chuckles.

“Smooth.” He says.

“So, what’ll it be?” The barista asks.

“One caramel latte please.” Dylan says. “Small.” The barista smiles.

“Coming right up.” He says, stepping away from the counter to go make Dylan’s beverage. In the meantime, Dylan distracts himself with his phone, causing the time to go by quicker than expected, and next thing he knows, the barista’s standing right in front of him again, the lidded foam cup sitting on the counter in between them. Dylan’s quick to put his phone away and dig out the money (exact change, to his surprise), before handing it over to the barista.

“Will that be all this morning?” The barista asks.

“Yup.” Dylan says, smiling politely as he grabs his cup off the counter. “Thanks.”

“Have a nice day!” The barista calls out as Dylan turns his back, heading towards the exit. The brunet can’t help but smile slightly, taking a sip of his coffee.

It’s once he’s outside, already a block away from the shop that he realizes there’s something written on his cup besides his order – a name. _Tyler,_ Dylan thinks. _Interesting name. He really shouldn’t waste his time flirting with me, though._ He smiles again, shaking his head as he takes another sip, continuing on back towards his campus.


End file.
